Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
342. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht the funding allocated to each local authority to employ an arts officer in each council area; and the further funding provided to allow the officer to run arts and culture programmes annually. [22286/20]
View answer380. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht if her Department contributes funding to local authorities to allow them to employ an arts officer in each council; and the funding provided to run arts and culture programmes during the year. [22287/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 342 and 380 together.
While the core funding of local authorities is a matter for my Cabinet colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, my Department – both directly and through the Arts Council – also provides significant support to enable local authorities deliver a vast array of artistic, cultural and creative programmes, projects, festivals, events and activities.
In recognition of their key role in supporting and funding the arts a local level, local authorities have long been key strategic partners of the Arts Council – evidenced by the publication of “A Framework for Collaboration”, a 10-year strategy between the Arts Council and the County and City Management Association (CCMA), which reflects on the value of the partnership to date and sets out a vision and broad goals to be progressed for the period 2016 to 2025. To support the implementation of this strategic partnership, the Arts Council have made provision for funding of €2.668 million to local authorities in 2020.
This funding does not support the employment of Arts Officers – rather it enable the arts offices to roll-out their annual programmes, as well providing support for a range of other initiatives, events and festivals which are carried out in partnership with local authorities and artists in every local authority area.
Recent decades have seen the development of a nationwide infrastructure of arts centres, many of which were initiated and funded by local authorities and supported through capital schemes largely operated by my Department. Support provided to these arts centres by local authorities and the Arts Council is critical to ensuring that a stable and vibrant network can be maintained. Capital funding schemes operated by my Department continue to be focused on enhancing this existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout the country. Recent capital schemes are being informed by the strategic Review of Arts Centres and Venues commissioned by the Arts Council and CCMA, as well as the Arts Council's published Arts Centre Policy and Strategy 2019 which sets out its funding criteria for arts centres from 2020 onwards.
The principal mechanism through which my Department directly supports arts and culture at local authority level is the Creative Ireland Programme – a culture-based programme led by my Department and designed to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. Its core proposition being that participation in cultural activity by everyone drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing and achievement.
A Memorandum of Understanding is in place between my Department and that of my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the objective of which is a commitment to support the implementation and delivery of Pillar 2 of the Programme – Creative Communities - over the period 2019-2022. This support recognises that culture and creativity are essential to sustaining and developing vibrant communities and places throughout Ireland.
Each local authority has been supported in the publication of a 5-year Culture and Creativity Strategy following local public consultation. The strategies are unique to each local authority, reflecting the breadth of cultural and creative work being undertaken in each area, the vision and values of each local authority and their strategic priorities. Each local authority has established a Culture and Creativity Team, led by a Creative Ireland Coordinator, to oversee its implementation.
Earlier this year, 3-year Service Level Agreements (SLAs) were signed between my Department and each of the 31 Local Authorities reflecting the commitment of both Departments to continue to financially support their delivery of the Creative Ireland Programme until 2022, subject to annual budgetary processes. This year total core funding of €3 million, or approx. €97,000 per local authority, is being made available to enable them to continue the implementation of their strategies.
Also encompassed by these SLAs is a separate commitment by my Department to provide funding of €15,000 to each local authority (or €75,000 in the case of each of the four Dublin local authorities) to support the annual delivery of Cruinniú na nÓg – our national day of free creative activities for children and young people under 18 years of age. Notwithstanding the exceptionally challenging circumstances this year, my Department supported the local authorities to deliver an online version of Cruinniú na nÓg in order to support the mental wellbeing of children and their families during social distancing.
As a direct response to the COVID-19 crisis, my officials in the Creative Ireland Programme have also worked with the local authorities to develop a series of newly-funded initiatives in relation to positive ageing and creative wellbeing. I am pleased that, as a result, 16 local authorities will also now receive additional new funding support of some €205,000 to deliver creative initiatives over the coming months in support of the mental wellbeing of our older people at this challenging time. Furthermore, under the Government’s July Stimulus Package, the Creative Ireland Programme has also provided additional funding amounting to €1.75 million to local authorities designed to enable a broadening of the range of supported disciplines and genres and provide for additional opportunities for public participation in, or engagement with, artistic, cultural and creative activities and programmes.
